1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to well seals. The invention also involves well seals having a split packer.
2. Background Art
Well seals are known which are intended for use With submersible water systems to prevent contamination due to surface drainage. The well is sealed by the expansion of a rubber packer, sandwiched between two metal castings. When the bolts are tightened, the castings are drawn together, thereby expanding the diameter of the packer and forming a seal. Besides use with single drop pipe arrangements, well seals are used with two-pipe jet pump arrangements.
U.S. Pat. No. 948,600 (Vannoy) describes a washer which has movable hinged sections with an aperture in the middle. The hinged sections are connected together at one end by a transverse pivot pin. Formed on the contact faces of one of the sections are tongues which are of a size so as to securely engage grooves formed in the opposed contact faces of the companion section. A spring lock which can hold the sections locked together is present on the circumference of one of the contact faces. The spring lock comprises a spring catch carried by one of the sections and a seat for engagement with the catch carried by the other section. To install the washer, the sections are opened to their widest extent and one half of the section is inserted around the tube, or contact surface. The other half is rotated around the tube, coupling, etc., and clamped so that the sections are engaged and form a tight seal. To remove the washer, the inner wall of the recess or seat is inclined upwardly and rearwardly to form an opening into which an instrument can be inserted to pry open the head of the spring catch. The Vannoy washer can only be removed by inserting a sharp instrument and prying the spring head, which may rupture the seal. Further, the Vannoy washer does not appear to be easily twistable, thereby making installation of the Vannoy washer difficult and complex.
U.S. Pat. No. 210,848 (Gingras) describes a leather washer having halves with an opening in the middle. On the circumference of the washer are provided dovetailed tenons and grooves which interlock. The leather washers are made and then enrobed in liquid cement and subjected to compression at the joints to firmly adhere in a die from it dipping into cement and allowing it to set. The method of making the washer suggests that once made, it would not be possible to twist the washer.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,759,777 (Anderson) describes a sealed bearing structure. The elastic sealing ring can be a continuous or split ring and also can be made from materials like rubber. The sealing ring has a central bore and circumferentially placed notches and abutments, or hook-like elements, which interlock to provide a tight seal. The seal is placed in an annular groove. The annular groove forms a part of the section of an annular sealing plate. The section extends axially inwardly and has a cylindrical outer surface which is concentric with and spaced from the adjacent surface of the bore. The seal ring works by exerting an expanding action on the cylindrical surface of the plate section and forms a sealing contact therewith. The Anderson washer is specifically designed for installation with an anti-friction bearing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,149 (Vater et al.) describes a split seal ring with an interlocking cut. This seal ring is preferably made up of PTFE, but can also be made of elastomeric materials. The seal ring fastening system has a detachable locking arrangement in both the radial and longitudinal directions. The arrangement has an interfitting wedge lock preventing radial displacement of the seal ends and a tongue and groove lock which prevents longitudinal uncoupling thereof. The seal ring is preferably placed in an annular groove machined into a rotatable shaft. The actual installation is easy and consists of opening the lock and placing the ring in the groove and locked in place by a single snap-on movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,844,487 (Eakin) describes a split sealing ring having a latch structure of overlapping, inter-engaging surfaces inclined to the axis of the ring, whose inclined surfaces seat against each other and intersect only the outer circumferential face of the ring and one of the axial faces of the ring at a location spaced radially outwardly from the inner radial face of the ring and the axial opening through the ring at the center of the overlap is entirely surrounded by portions of the outer circumferential face of the ring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,262,168 (Bossard) describes a split sealing washer. The composite washer is comprised of two identical flexible mating half-washers each offset along a diameter and slit along an offset radius. The two half-washers are mated after being slipped over a cable section to provide a fluid resistant barrier in a cable splice enclosure. The washer, however, has all the disadvantages of a washer that is conventionally split and then installed, i.e., the fluid has a straight path at the splits to seep or leak.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,776,559 (Cawthorn) describes shaft seals which comprise a split annular body made of resilient material to surround and engage the shaft and a split ring adapted to surround the body and having its ends shaped to engage each other in a locked condition.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,151,131 describes a shaft collar which has two complementary sections, each section being formed at its ends with a radially extending dovetail projection and a radially extending dovetail recess inward of the projection. The recess and projection on one section interlock and mate with the projection and recess on the other section.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,191,565 describes an adjustable washer. The washer has an annular body having relatively movable free ends and a securing means. The securing means has a recess at an end and a dovetail means at the opposite end slidably mounted within the recess.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,495,496 describes a ring member which is adapted to be placed around a shank. The ring member has a non-continuous, ring-shaped planar body with first and second end portions joined by a center portion. The first end portion has two wall sections defining therebetween a recess which extends parallel to the plane of the ring across the end of the end portion. The second end portion has a projection which fits into the recess of the first end portion when the ring is in the closed position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,323 describes a shaft mounted assembly. The assembly includes a first member which comprises at least two segments and a retainer or locking member which interlocks with the segments when the segments are placed around the shaft to retain the segments on the shaft.
U.S. Pat. No. 331,458 describes a spring piston-packing ring. The ring is made from one piece of material, and has a notched lap (K in FIG. 1) and a circular periphery corresponding to the circular periphery of the inner surface of the cylinder in which it is used. The assembly allows the ring to form itself into an inherent adjusting spring.
U.S. Pat. No. 647,928 describes a washer composed of two semicircular parts. Each of the parts has its ends divided into two leaves. All of the leaves are provided with a catch at the end thereof, and a depression in rear of such catch. The catches on each of the parts have beveled engaging edges, and are adapted to engage the depressions in the leaves of the other part. Each alternate leaf on either of the parts has lateral resistance in an opposite direction to the one preceding. The parts are adapted to be securely and firmly locked together.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,784,215 describes an interlocking joint assembly for annular split sealing rings where overlapping end sections form both radial and axial sealing faces. The end sections are formed with axially opposed overlapping segments creating a pair of axially overlapping radial sealing interfaces at the opposed ends of the sealing ring and a pair of axially offset axial sealing interfaces extending radially from the midportion of the ring to the outer radial face of the ring.